Cooking oil spilled

Updated 6:57 am, Friday, July 19, 2013

A slippery substance slickened Livington Avenue in Albany on Thursday afternoon and police were trying to keep motorists from driving on the westbound side of the street.

A slippery substance slickened Livington Avenue in Albany on Thursday afternoon and police were trying to keep motorists from driving on the westbound side of the street.

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Albany Police block off the west bound lanes heading up a hill as a layer of some type of oil covers Livingston Ave. between North Pearl St. and Lark St. on Thursday, July 18, 2013 in Albany, NY. (Paul Buckowski / Times Union) less

Albany Police block off the west bound lanes heading up a hill as a layer of some type of oil covers Livingston Ave. between North Pearl St. and Lark St. on Thursday, July 18, 2013 in Albany, NY. (Paul ... more

Photo: Paul Buckowski

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A driver heads east on Livingston Ave., as a layer of some type of oil covers the west bound lanes of the street between North Pearl St. and Lark St. on Thursday, July 18, 2013 in Albany, NY. (Paul Buckowski / Times Union) less

A driver heads east on Livingston Ave., as a layer of some type of oil covers the west bound lanes of the street between North Pearl St. and Lark St. on Thursday, July 18, 2013 in Albany, NY. (Paul ... more

Photo: Paul Buckowski

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A layer of some type of oil covers Livingston Ave. between North Pearl St. and Lark St. on Thursday, July 18, 2013 in Albany, NY. (Paul Buckowski / Times Union)

A layer of some type of oil covers Livingston Ave. between North Pearl St. and Lark St. on Thursday, July 18, 2013 in Albany, NY. (Paul Buckowski / Times Union)

Photo: Paul Buckowski

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A sanding truck spreads a covering on a layer of some type of oil that spilled on Livingston Ave. between North Pearl St. and Lark St. on Thursday, July 18, 2013 in Albany, NY. (Paul Buckowski / Times Union)

A sanding truck spreads a covering on a layer of some type of oil that spilled on Livingston Ave. between North Pearl St. and Lark St. on Thursday, July 18, 2013 in Albany, NY. (Paul Buckowski / Times Union)

Photo: Paul Buckowski

Cooking oil spilled

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Albany

Livingston Avenue was left with a greasy sheen and the briny scent of a fry-o-lator after a cooking oil spill shut down the Arbor Hill street, a mess that crews were trying to clean up on Thursday.

"It's hot out and it smells," said Mashama Burns, who returned to her apartment on Livingston Avenue after a shift as a chef at the Schuyler Inn in Menands. "I cook with oil all day and now I can't get away from it." She speculated it came from a cooking oil recycling truck like the one that pays to empty their kitchen's used vegetable oil each week.

Crews spread sand and a street sweeper scoured the oily track that ran up the Livingston Avenue hill for four blocks starting at Broadway. No accidents or injuries were reported and police were searching for the culprit, said Officer Steve Smith.

"Make 'em clean it up," said Velma Milller, 84, a Livingston Avenue resident for 50 years.